Samsung will kick off Galaxy S5 pre-orders on 28 March

KOREAN PHONE MAKER Samsung has said it will start taking Galaxy S5 pre-orders on 28 March ahead of the handset's 11 April release.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available to pre-order from selected retailers, Samsung’s e-store and the Stratford Westfield Experience Store in London from Friday 28 March, the firm announced on Wednesday.

Simon Sanford, VP of Samsung UK and Ireland said, "We wanted to give our customers in the UK the chance to get their hands on the next generation of our Galaxy S smartphone as soon as possible by giving them the option to pre-order.

"With the Galaxy S5, we’ve very much focused on the features that our customers want and will use the most on a day to day basis, and look forward to hearing what they think when they get their new device."

There's no word on pay monthly pricing yet, but if it's anything like its Galaxy S4 predecessor, it will fetch around £35 per month. Once released, the Galaxy S5 will be available through O2, EE, Three and Vodafone, along with retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u.